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Blog Entry on Coax Compression

05-09-2008, 03:36 PM

Hey all,

I just wrote a description of my using a compression tool to terminate coaxial cable based on my recent experience replacing all of the CATV fittings in my house. There are a bunch of pictures of how the tool works in there. I figured I should post the link in a forum so that someone will notice it.

Comment

CPW, I just read your blog entry. It seems logical and informative, like CWSmith's posts, but I don't have a clue what you are talking about and I have never heard of or seen any of the tools you describe. When I read stuff those plumbers talk about I am amazed too. Who knew there is a formula for ducting more than one line into a flue - the diameter of the largest duct plus 1/2 the diameter of the smaller pipe. There is a lot of knowledge in the world. Keep posting and I will keep reading. Maybe before I die some of it will sink in.

Comment

CPW, I just read that descriptive and informative blog and you must have read my mind. I have been using screw on connectors and they just get lose and ruin the signal after a while. I have been meaning to get to HomeDepot or some other store that sells a professional tool and connectors to make a quality job. Thanks to you I now know not only which tools to get but exactly how they work and how they all come together for a finished job.
Thanks!

Comment

CPW, I just read that descriptive and informative blog and you must have read my mind. I have been using screw on connectors and they just get lose and ruin the signal after a while. I have been meaning to get to HomeDepot or some other store that sells a professional tool and connectors to make a quality job. Thanks to you I now know not only which tools to get but exactly how they work and how they all come together for a finished job.
Thanks!

They have an Ideal kit for compression coaxial fittings too, at least online. That would get you the compression tool, stripper, and a pile of connectors for not much more than the tool. The one thing that I would worry about is they call it an economy compression tool. I don't know if that means the quality is lower though.

I know that Ideal makes good stuff for Cat5, the guys who did cabling at the company I used to work for used their telemaster crimp tools. Based on my limited coax experience, it seems good for that too.

Comment

CPW, I just read your blog entry. It seems logical and informative, like CWSmith's posts, but I don't have a clue what you are talking about and I have never heard of or seen any of the tools you describe. When I read stuff those plumbers talk about I am amazed too. Who knew there is a formula for ducting more than one line into a flue - the diameter of the largest duct plus 1/2 the diameter of the smaller pipe. There is a lot of knowledge in the world. Keep posting and I will keep reading. Maybe before I die some of it will sink in.

Tom,

If you've got any questions I can try to answer them. I hope to make it accessible so that more people can benefit from it. Basically the three tools in the pics are:
1) Crimper
2) Compression Tool
3) Stripper

After fishing a cable without ends on it you need to attach the ends. The stripper cuts the cable nicely, which is a pain without it. You push on one of the ends to attach with either the crimper or compression tool. The pictures try to show the process with the compression tool.

Comment

Thank you for the offer to answer any of my questions re the cable stuff. We don't have a television, never have had one and have no plans to buy one. Nothing against them we just don't have one. (We do however have mountains of books.) I am very impulsive and someday may buy a TV on a lark in which case I will probably pester you for more hints. I still find it fascinating that when I met my wife in '89 she didn't have a television either.

Comment

I now have independent verification that my termination worked well. Even after replacing all of the wiring, I was still getting intermitent drops (not as many as before). It was out for like 2 hours yesterday, so I finally called Cablevision and had a tech come out. He hooked up his signal meter outside the house, and even though the TV frequencies were OK, some of the low frequencies were dropping. He went up to the pole, found some cable/fittings that a squirel chewed on and replaced it. Thankfully, when he checked the signal again it was OK both at the demarc and where my modem was located (meaning my fittings are A-OK) and they didn't need to run a whole new wire to the house.

I also learned that being a flagger isn't a hard job, but standing in the middle of the road in 90* humid weather with cars coming at you at 50 mph is no fun. Without it though, someone definitely would have hit is truck since the end of my driveway is down a hill and around two blind curves.